Bryan Cranston thought James Corden was a waiter when they met

At first glance, Bryan Cranston thought James Corden was the one who pours.

In a recent appearance on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, the two performers reminisced about their first interaction. “The first time I ever met Bryan Cranston [was] a huge moment in my life,” Corden said. “My wife and I had gone to — she was my girlfriend at the time — and we’d gone to Los Angeles for the first time in our lives, and we’d spent the entire morning watching season 2 of Breaking Bad.”

That set the stage for an unbelievable chance encounter. “We then decide to leave our room and go for lunch,” the Into the Woods actor continued. “I go for lunch and who walks in the restaurant but Bryan Cranston. To this day, I have never been as starstruck as I was in that moment.”

But Cranston made a hasty assumption about Corden when he finally went to talk to him. “I went over, I said ‘Bryan…’” the former Late Late Show host explained, before Cranston admitted, “And then I immediately say, ‘Could I have some more coffee, please?’” 

Corden confirmed the misunderstanding. “That is completely true,” he said. “I said, ‘Bryan, you don’t know me, I’m an actor in the United Kingdom and I was watching the show this morning. Your performance is incredible.’ And he said ‘Thank you, can I get a Diet Coke with no ice?’”

Bryan Cranston stars in Argylle, which hits theaters on Friday. Corden’s new show on SiriusXM, This Life of Mine with James Corden, premieres Feb. 1. Watch the full TODAY clip above.

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